Films and T.V. shows involving lawyers and courtrooms have been done ad nauseum these days. But back in 1979 when …And Justice for All was released, the idea of observing lawyers in action was a novel idea. In fact, the idea of being a lawyer was still an honorable one.
There was no Court TV and lawyer bashing wasn’t as popular then as it is now. And Justice for All, a biting satire on the American legal system, shows that very little is sacred in the legal profession.
Technicalities can get murderers freed and innocent men sent to prison. Lawyers only care about making back room deals and winning no matter the cost in human lives. Insane and corrupt judges pass down life and death sentences without hesitation. Morality and ethics are non-existent.
Al Pacino stars as Arthur Kirkland, a defense attorney who has been in practice for 12 years. Kirkland is a minority amongst lawyers in that he is idealistic, honest and tries to treat each one of his clients as human beings. He’s not in it for money or fame but rather to help and protect people. This frequently puts him at odds with a cold, uncaring judicial system personified by the evil Judge Henry T. Fleming (John Forsythe).
With his distinguished gray hair and arrogant sneer, Fleming is representative of the legal elitists who believe that they are above the law. To say that Kirkland and Fleming hate each other is an understatement.
One of Arthur’s clients has been wrongfully imprisoned on a technicality and Fleming is unwilling to listen to Arthur’s pleas to reopen the case. Arthur isn’t above taking a swing at him in court and this lands him in prison on a contempt charge as the film opens.
Things get considerably more complicated when Fleming is accused of raping and beating a young woman. He wants Arthur to defend him naturally because it will look good in the papers. Why else would someone whose dislike of Fleming is so well known defend him unless he was innocent?
Arthur initially laughs at the idea but is forced to take the case when he is blackmailed by Fleming. Arthur also has to deal with his law partner Jay (the great Jeffrey Tambor in his film debut) going through a nervous breakdown after a man he defended kills two children, a complicated love affair with Gail (Christine Lahti in her film debut) who is on an ethics committee investigating him, his beloved grandfather Sam (Lee Strasberg) getting older and more senile and the cheerfully suicidal Judge Francis Rayford (Jack Warden) who eats his lunch on a fourth story window ledge, carries a loaded gun in court and enjoys flying his helicopter without enough gas in it.
There are times when it seems like Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin’s screenplay throws too much in but under director Norman Jewison’s steady hand, the film rarely strikes a false note.
The film does seem a little sitcomish at times and Dave Grusin’s dated score doesn’t hold up well. Despite it’s shortcomings though, the film holds up as an intelligent and well thought out attack on the American legal system that almost seems tame by today’s standards.
Part comedy and part melodrama, …And Justice for All is carried by Pacino’s strong Oscar nominated performance. Much like another one of his iconic antiheroes Frank Serpico, Arthur Kirkland is the last honest man standing up to a corrupt and immoral establishment.
Pacino makes Kirkland one of his most likeable characters and his intensity is consistent throughout. His scenes with real life acting mentor Lee Strasberg from the famed Actors Studio in New York are genuine and heartbreaking. This would be the second and final time Pacino and Strasberg appeared in a film together with the other being The Godfather II.
The legendary final courtroom scene with a classic monologue by Pacino remains one of the greatest put on film and one of Pacino’s finest moments. It may seem manipulated to make one cheer but it works.
The supporting cast led by Warden, Forsythe, Tambor and Lahti all make their characters vivid. Keep an eye out for Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior from The Sopranos) as one of Arthur’s clients and Craig T. Nelson as a cutthroat prosecuting attorney.
This special edition is a marked improvement over the previous 2004 DVD, which only had a full screen transfer and a director’s commentary by Jewison. Thankfully, Sony has given us an anamorphic widescreen version of the film for the first time.
Jewison’s commentary is included here along with a few new extras including almost eleven minutes of deleted scenes, a Barry Levinson: Cross Examining the Screenwriter featurette that runs under seven minutes and a Norman Jewison: The Testimony of the Director featurette that runs around 12 minutes.
Sony also throws in for good measure a ten-minute sneak peek of Pacino’s upcoming film 88 Minutes, a free pass to see the film, the Damages pilot episode from the FX channel and previews for other Sony films.
…And Justice for All pulls no punches with the American legal system. Justice is not carried out equally and justly for all. But the film remains one of the better satires on the legal society with a strong, uncompromising message and excellent acting.
…And Justice for All is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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